An Author of Another Time
by VanishRain
Summary: They always say any author's true intentions are hidden in their words. Well, Temperance Brennan's new book has some steamy new secrets about exactly how much her partner means to her. With the words on paper, will she really be able to fess up? COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Another murder, another case and another reason to spend every waking second with the prettiest woman he had ever met. Sure other women had the looks but the woman before him was a full package. She was a genius, the body of an angel and had a heart of gold. He couldn't have asked for more, well that is if he ever asked her out.

It had been one thousand five hundred and sixty two days since the day he fell in love with her and he knew eventually he would cross that line and declare what everyone had always known. Well everyone except the woman before him. She may be able to ramble off countless scientific facts in her sleep but the woman knew nothing, absolutely nothing, about love.

Plus who was counting, really?

With a glance down at his watch and a sigh, he knew the answer to that. He was. He always had been, counting down the days until she was his.

Would one more day really matter?

"So are you ready to go to another grisly crime scene?" Booth smiled, slapping a folder down on her desk. "No body bits, just like you like them." He chuckled lightly.

Little did she know it was at the bottom of a pit covered in garbage but he would leave that little known fact for the car ride there. She couldn't refuse to go stuck in a car with him, an hour away from D.C now could she? Well she could and she had… but flowers… yeah that would do the trick. She couldn't deny him if he had flowers and coffee. Crap, he forgot her coffee. So maybe just the flowers.

"Nope." Her tone was monotonic as she shifted lightly and resumed her typing. His head jerked up in sudden amazement. Maybe she just needed time to get ready, yeah that was it… it had to be.

"Well you better get ready then. It is at least a two hour drive if we don't hit traffic." He stepped around the desk, humbly slinking around her chair, "And if you're lucky I might even through in breakfast. Now come on…" He turned and placed his hand on her shoulder, just as she minimized her screen, "Working on a new novel?"

"Yes now if you would excuse me…" She looked up at him and glared, "I would like it if you would shut your door on the way out."

"Oh come on… don't be like that." He slumped, quickly drawing his hand back with a sigh. What in the world was she so mad at him for? They even had breakfast yesterday and they never had breakfast on Sunday… uh no… was it something he said… or did? "It's about breakfast yesterday isn't it?"

He quickly retreated to the other side of the table and began pacing.

"How was I to know that Parker was going to steal your last pancake…" He quickly glanced up, running his hand through his hair and tugging at the ends nervously, "I will buy you as many pancakes as you wish now please can we go now?"

"I am not in any need of pancakes nor will that provide a reason to leave this office." She coldly retorted, trying to suppress the smile tugging at her heart. He looked so cute when he was flustered.

"What do you want? What do I need to do to make it right?" He stopped his pacing and glared. This woman was being beyond unbearable and for what? He knew he had screwed up worse in the past and a case always brought her around but now his one way to get her to smile again was failing miserably. 'Abort! Abort!' his mind screamed but his heart knew this woman better than anyone and he knew if he prodded long enough she would come around… or at least horribly disfigure him. He was willing to take that risk.

"I want to resume my writing which means you need to leave this office and give me peace." She tapped on her table in frustration.

"What if he apologizes?" He cringed at the thought of pulling Parker out of class just to have him apologize for something they had all laughed about mere hours ago. She even had cut the pancake up for him. This lady was nuts… clearly all the writing she was doing lately had caused her to lose one too many marbles.

"He has nothing to apologize for, Booth." She spoke matter-of-factly, grin firmly affixed, hiding the twinkle in her eyes.

"Don't yell at me if they compromise your evidence… I know you will." He sweetly smiled; knowing exactly would set her off. Her evidence was more important to her then… well more important to her then anything, he assured himself. Clearly she would not let anyone compromise a speck of dirt as long as she still had breath in her lungs to yell at the sorry sap who messed with HER evidence. Everything was hers; he was just along for the ride. It was a bumpy one but one he wouldn't change for anything.

"Oh, I assure you I will not yell or pout or any of those things you say I do." She turned her gaze back to her computer screen. He knew that look and what would happen to him if he kept prodding. He hated that look. So like a good little puppy he slinked out of the office, tail between his legs and growing feeling shame. He needed to put himself in time out for that one, or at least not have pie.

Why in the world was a grown man disciplining himself because of a look? Man he had it bad… very bad. Okay, maybe just a bite of pie.

"Okay… well I guess I will see you when I come back with the remains…" His voice was soft and wavering. He wasn't sure what he had done but whatever it was, a simple bouquet of daisies was not going to do it. He was in the dog house… for good.

He stood outside the office, watching his partner happily type away. Her eyes quickly shifted off her screen and out the door just as he ducked behind a pillar but they both knew he had been caught. If he was within a five mile radius of her, she knew.

"Oh, Booth?" Brennan's voice dropped a few octaves as the words rolled over her tongue, beckoning him back into the office.

"Yes?" He practically groveled, slinking against the doorframe.

"Are you free this evening… say around seven?" She beamed, turning her full attention to him.

"I think so… why?" He mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and counting the tiles on the floor.

"Oh… nothing." She smirked, a devilish grin imprinted across her innocence features. "Keep it that way." She sweetly grinned before resuming her feverous typing.

"Uh… okay." He beamed for an unexplainable reason; the way she looked… she was practically dripping sex and seduction. Maybe he did like it when she was writing a novel.

"And wear your green socks." She purred as he quickly ran out of the office and toward the parking garage, grinning like a love struck school child on their first date.

"What got into you studly?" Angela smirked as he practically plowed her over trying to frantically get to the safety of his SUV.

"Nothing… just… nothing."

"A hot forensic anthropologist nothing?" She beamed the bright red hue and glow he had suddenly acquired.

"No…" He meekly whispered, "I need to go… I have a case… a body to recover… for Bones… to determine cause of death… a murder." He fumbled, backing away and out the door.

He practically sprinted down the hallway and to his parking spot. As the cool air from the AC pelted his flush body he let out a content sigh then a groan as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. If he hadn't known her as well as he knew he did he would have thought Temperance Brennan… the woman of his dreams just asked him on a date.

Quickly he reassured himself he was clearly mistaken. She was Bones, not a normal woman but Bones. She would have never done something so irrational without some sort of flow chart or diagram and since he did not see any new poster boards around her office he smiled in contentment and relief. After the day he knew he was going to have, going to crime scene alone, dinner with his best friend was just what he needed.


	2. Chapter 2

At 7:05 Booth pealed into the parking lot of the Founding Fathers' Bar. He had every intention of getting to the bar early that night but as the daylight hours slowly slipped away and right as he turned on the interstate he hit rush hour traffic, he knew he was going to be late. He just hoped this time she would still be waiting for him. It was just dinner… of course she would be waiting for him. She probably would be mad for a few minutes but after a few drinks she would be the Bones he loved again.

With a flick of the wrist he killed the engine and bolted into the sparsely filled bar. His eyes quickly scanned the room before him as his heart quickly skipped a few beats, she was there. Every time she was around it felt as though the world closed in around him and all that was in this world was her beauty, well his fear and her beauty but her perfection still held a grip on his heart.

In the back corner of the bar, his eyes quickly found her and narrowed in on his target. His quick strides soon made his body lightly shake the closer he got to the table. She looked so perfect, lost in her own little world, so content with life but one thing he had learned over all these years working with her was that she was never as she seemed, she may have seemed happy on the outside but her true emotions were always under lock and key protected from the cold, callous world outside . He watched her eyes quickly flicker and darken with an emotion he had never seen before and as his heart constricted he knew it was somehow his fault.

She was disappointed… in him.

Although he was disappointed with himself, his face still lit up at the sight before him. She looked absolutely radiating tonight. He always knew she was attractive but tonight, she was stunning, absolutely breathtaking. And it all was for him. In that moment he fell in love with her all over again and he knew he could not live without the woman before him.

She was amazing.

"Sorry I got caught in traffic." He sorrowfully spoke, slipping into the chair and smiling at her.

"It's okay Booth…" She spoke softly, almost a hint of a whisper, "I haven't been here long…" She trailed off, slowing pulling her eyes up from the glass before her. "It is okay, really it is."

She tried to reassure herself but the truth was written all over her face, along with the evidence of the four empty glasses surrounding the one she was clenching tightly. The truth was a clear as day; she had been there for a while. His eyes shot down and scanned the almost dry glasses before her looking for any detail that proved his gut wrong. But once again his gut was right; she was lying, blatantly lying to his face. She had been there for at least an hour. And the missing ice was a tall tale sign of just one thing: she was nervous. Very nervous.

But what did she have to be nervous for, it was just dinner after all?

As the fragrance of lilac and morning dew slowly wafted over the small table it hit him like a ton of bricks… this was a date. He was late to the first date with the woman of his dreams. In that instant he wanted to die or cry. He wasn't sure which but whatever it was, it was making him sick.

"I know you are lying…" He attempted to smile but failed horribly, "but I will let you slide on this one." He reached across the table, brushing her knuckles lightly.

"Did they find the whole body?" She spoke as she lightly shook at his touch, the twinkle in her eyes quickly dimmed and her happiness was all but fading, she was closing up, "To my standards I mean."

"I made sure of it." He smiled as he recounted the afternoon spent yelling at incompetent agents, she would have been proud, "The body will be delivered to the Jeffersonian tomorrow morning. They were still working on finishing up the paperwork and the last remaining details when I left."

Her eyes instantly shot up and narrowed at the man before her, ignoring the light, soothing strokes against her wrist putting her to sleep.

"You did what?!? You left those incompetent idiots to…"

"Hold up!" He jerked his hand up to stop her ramblings, "One, Hodgins is there to make sure they don't do something stupid so just chill. And two, I knew if I would have stayed I would have blown off dinner so I did the logical thing and made arrangements then left. So if they mess up it will be his fault." He smiled, leaving out the small bit of information that he knew he would be up until at least three a.m. making sure the body was there for her to examine when she arrived at five.

Brennan glanced at him slightly and smirked.

"Nope. Still will be your fault." She watched with delight the twinkle in his eyes suddenly grow, "You do answer to me after all."

"So does that make you my forensic anthropologist?" He spoke with a hint of seduction, unconsciously gripping her hand harder for emphasis.

"Maybe."

"Uh huh…" He beamed, at least she didn't deny it, "So what are you ordering?" He quickly looked down at the menu before him then back at the woman before him.

"I uh… I already ordered for us." Brennan mumbled softly.

Just then a waitress appeared, placing two plates before them.

"Steak? You don't let me order steak unless you… you are not going on another one of your digs, are you?"

"I have one at the end of the year but not currently, no." She pushed the salad around her plate, clearly not hungry.

"Uh…" He blushed, "is there some date I am supposed to remember?"

"Does August fifth mean anything to you?" She waved her fork in the air, "In fifth grade my goldfish died on August fifth but you were not purvey to that information."

"I don't think so… but sorry about your fish."

"Don't be. He knew his short lifespan was in the name of research. We had an agreement."

"Wait… you had an agreement… with a goldfish?"

"Yes, he was not able to sign a consent wavier but it was mutual. I fed him and took care of him and in turn he was used in one of my experiments."

"Oh."

"On a related note, goldfish don't do well in the microwave."

"You microwaved it!" He yelled, gasping in shock.

"Of course. It was part of the experiment."

"You were one weird child." He shook his head in disbelief, "But you are cute so I guess I will let that pass." He teased.

He took a long drag of his straw to find Brennan staring not at him but through him. She was lost in her own mind and the tensing and untensing hand beneath his own only meant one thing, they needed to talk.

"Bones… spill, what it is it?"

"How do you know we need to talk?" She innocently looked up at him, eyes glazed over in fear at what she was about to do. She looked down at her plate then back up at him, trying to shake the irrationalities circling around her mind. She was unsuccessful.

"You know I love steak but you usually don't let me order steak unless we need to talk." He set his fork down on his plate and sighed, "So let me have it. What is it you want me to fix this time?"

"Actually… there is something I would like you to read."

She jerked her hand out from under his and set a large stack of papers before him titled, 'The Truth in the Bones'. It was not normal for her to title the manuscripts she let him read but as long as he got to read the novel before everyone else Booth was happy.

"A manuscript!" He clapped his hands together with glee, "Now where are the good parts?" He grinned.

"This novel does not have Kathy and Andy in it…" She lightly blushed, "It is an autobiography."

"Oh…" He frowned, "I bet it is still good though." He quickly recovered.

He thumbed through the first few chapters, looking for the "good" parts aka the smut. To his dismay there was no dialogue but just boxes of text and no pictures! What kind of book had she written?

With a large thud she slammed her hand down on the stack of papers, causing the words on the page blur before him yet one word burned into his memory, love. It was written frequently on almost all the pages. What was this book about?

"You can read that later." She pulled her hand from the papers, linking her fingers with his. "Are you still free this evening?" She resumed picking at her salad, suddenly losing her nerve and refusing to look up.

"Of course. Got some bad date you need a drinking buddy for?" He lightly laughed.

Brennan quickly pulled her hand from his, sorrow written all over her delicate features. That was not the answer she was looking for.

"Hey Bones…" He spoke softly, running his hand around her jaw, "I was just kidding. I'm sorry. I would love to spend my night with you."

He quickly waved his free had for the check, slamming his credit card down on top of the paper once it arrived, refusing to look away.

"I asked you to dinner so it should be customary for me to pay for dinner." She nervously fumbled through her purse, hoping to catch the waitress before she took the check but it was too late.

With a sigh she leaned back, defeated. She was the one who invited him to dinner; she should have been the one to pay. It was her date.

"I will pay you back for that." She huffed. "It is only right."

"You know I am an alpha male, right?" He smiled adoringly at her, setting her up for a trap he had done all too often.

"Correct." She nodded, agreeing to play along.

"Then you know what is right. You let me pay for dinner then take you out for a night on the town. I do need to show off my bobbles every once in a while. You said it yourself."

"But Booth…"

"But nothing. There will be drinks, there will be dancing but most of all, I will be the prettiest woman in the room. What do you say? Will you make me the happiest man in this room and go with me?" His voice had a hit of fear but he assured himself the whinny tone would distract her long enough.

With a slight nod, Brennan grinned and slipped on her jacket. She still had a knot in her stomach but she knew that would not subside until he got to the last chapter, in essence her soul on paper.

Maybe writing the novel wasn't such a bad idea.

If it all went terribly wrong, at least she had this night to remember. A night she would not soon forget.

The night that would change everything.


	3. Chapter 3

"So… Bones, are you going tell me what your novel is about?" Booth turned and smiled, pulling down a side street on the other side of town.

"No." Brennan firmly reassured, nodding slightly to the music that filled the very small street.

"Come on… tell me…" He beamed, pulling into a dimly lit parking space.

"It is highly improbable that you will get the response you so desire in this setting. Maybe if you had another forensic anthropologist to converse with things would be different but you have me, Dr. Temperance Brennan. It says so on the cover of the manuscript if you don't believe me." Brennan leaned back, a smug smile tugging on her lips. She loved it when she won the agreement, hell she loved it when she won anything.

"What I heard was… I'm screwed." His voice was soft as velvet yet the loss of disappointment was not lost on the great doctor. Had she not won?

"Yep."

"We will see about that…" He grinned, flicking the lock just as Brennan pulled on the handle.

"Booth! What did you do that for?" Her whine turned into a mere whisper as his presence began to overcome her senses, "I thought we were going to…" She trailed off, her mind unable to process anything except the close proximity of her partner. How in the world did he smell so good… all the time?

"We are not going anywhere until you tell me what it is… why you felt the need to put on this whole facade." He slowly leaned across the center console, "I know you. I know you are a woman of rational and reason, so what is your reason. Clearly you have a reason, don't you?" He paused slightly, she knew she was caught, "Wait don't answer that, I already know the answer."

"If you do not require any answers or need any validation, it seems that you would be able to let me out of this car… right now!" Brennan's voice squeaked, horror written on her delicate features.

"Not yet." He whispered, tugging her chin to face him. "I want the truth."

"I… I…" She blinked, unable to do anything other than drool. "If you… just let me out… then I… run…" She mumbled in tune with the soothing strokes that did little to deny his true intentions.

He was a man on a mission and nothing was going to stop him, certainly not any irrational insecurities his partner may have held. Sure she had asked him on this date but they both knew as soon as she could get out of that car she was going to flee. It hadn't mattered she had admitted her unwavering love to herself, admitting it to him was a whole new monster. And that monster scared her more than a gun to the head ever would.

"Bones…"

She just slowly nodded in his hand, barely able to remember how to breathe. Although she felt sick from her internal struggle to flee, her insides were burning with a new sensations… acceptance. With a singular world he had declared not only his intentions but pacified her need for the rational, turning her inside out and righting her at the same time.

She was a mess… she was more than a mess, she was in love. And that in itself was enough to cause a strong woman to crumble. And this woman? Well for the first time in her life she was not sure in the fight of logic and illogical who was going to win.

"I know you are a woman of undeniable proof. To you everything has a cause and effect… a reason for everything. Everything needs to be put in its place and when it is not, you are a mess."

"Yes Booth but…" She interrupted, unwilling to let the words fall from his lips. Although she was always unable to read people, Temperance Brennan could read her partner like a book. And the words written on the next page? They were the one thing that caused her to run all those times. Love.

"No, Bones. Let me speak. You will have your turn after."

"Can… can I… can you… unlock the door after?" She pleaded, the words constricting in her throat. She had practiced every scenario except this one. This was not how it was to end. She was supposed to be the one to confront the undeniable feelings, her not him. But there she sat in the ever increasingly smaller car with a sneaking suspicion he was about to change her world.

"No." He huffed, rubbing his temples, "You are a rational woman, correct?"

Brennan opened her mouth to refute such claims but the glare written all over his face spoke one thing, shut up. She nodded slowly, fixing her gaze on her sweaty palms.

"And everything in your world has a reason?"

She nodded without looking up, his eyes bearing into her soul was enough for one night.

"Love, what is your reason for love?"

"Wha- what?" Her eyes shuttered up, catching the grin etched into his features, before cascading down, "What are you talking about? Surely you are talking about something ephemeral… something fake."

"So the smile you have when I see you on Monday mornings is fake? Or when your whole body shakes when I help you with your coat, is that fake too? Or when I hug you and you never want to let go? How are all these things fake when you have tangible, undeniable proof?" His voice lightly shook, sending shockwaves of fear down to her core.

"Booth, how do you know you are the one that does these things to me? I am sure if you gave me a list, I would be able to compile a list of reasons for my physical reactions." She meekly whispered, unable to stop the tears from flowing.

He held up his trembling hands in her line of sight, letting it over take his whole body. He had prided himself on being a strong man, able to do everything he set in front of him. There was nothing in his world that he felt was more then he could handle, but the fear of losing her… losing the love of his life was too much to handle and within seconds of thinking of what his life would be without her, he shattered into a thousand pieces. Although he had been able to accomplish so many things and be strong for so long, she was his kryptonite without even knowing it. She was the one thing that could shatter him into so many pieces he was unfixable. She had become his world and without her he was a shell of a man.

"This is what you do to me, Bones. With just a glance I turn into a weak man. All it takes is one look and I turn into putty in your hands. It is not because you are beautiful, or a genius or the sweetest woman I have ever met… you do these things to me because I love you. From the bottom of my heart, I love you. I have loved you for years because not of who you are but because of who I am because of you. You bring the best out of me. During my coma I had a taste of being with you would be like. And after months of soul searching I have determined I cannot live without that. I cannot live with you just being my partner, I want more… I need more. I need you."

"Booth…" Brennan pleaded, letting her tears pierce his soul.

Without even thinking about it, Booth flicked the switch and unlocked the passenger side door. His eyes rolled in the back of his head as his fear washed over him again. He knew this was her decision to make but he had hoped for once in her life, Temperance Brennan had let her illogical emotions win the war raging within.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ba… Booth…" Brennan gripped her seat, refusing to give her flight response any chance, "Booth I think I…"

"You what Bones? What is so important that you are unable to form a coherent sentence? What?" He barked, blood running hot from his frustration. He knew it would be difficult for her but didn't she trust him? He had done everything he could to prove to her above all else, she could trust him. Was he wrong to even try all along?

Silence soon filled the cabin until a soft whimper filled every one of Seeley Booth's senses. His eyes rolled open and toward his partner. She was gripping her seat so tight her knuckles were white and she looked like she was about to explode from the inside out. He had seen her overcome some trying times but this was a first for Temperance Brennan. She actually looked… terrified.

"What are you doing, Bones?" A chuckle radiated Booth, infusing his voice with a hint of suspicion.

Her bloodshot eyes slowly darted toward her partner, crossing his body once then back up, piercing his heart. She took a deep breath and shuttered. He looked completely perfect without even trying and she knew who she was deep down. The truth was Temperance Brennan was a weak child. She had deserved her parents abandoning her. She was never quite sure what she had done but she still deserved it. Every bad thing that had happened to her, she deserved it. And if he left her? She would deserve that too.

"Booth…" She whispered, "Can you… please… uh… can you…"

"Bones, just spill it."

"Uh…" Her eyes flicked down, "lock the door… please."

With a slight hesitation his hand instinctively flicked the switch and Brennan fell onto a heap on her seat. Without any notice her light crying turned into sobbing, soon she was heaving as the bile rose up.

"Bones… Bones... What is wrong?" He pleaded, "What did I do?"

Her eyes rose up from her heap but soon fell. She had assured herself she was ready for this… to confront the heavy truth that both had run from for so long. She knew she loved him, as illogical as it seemed she knew he was the only man to make her feel complete. But as the seconds turned to minutes, her will was fading and fading fast.

"Bones, whatever it is… we can deal with it… together."

Together… it just rolled off his tongue as quickly as pie or hockey. Had they really become so close that together was just the norm for them? Sure she knew she was never alone and it was not surprising for her to wake up to him cooking her breakfast but they were partners and that is what partners did.

He had told her many stories about how partners should act when they were first partners but never once did he push her to be any of those things. He always let things happen at her pace, it was unorthodox for an alpha male such as himself to do that but he always put her first. Always.

Her eyes once again rolled up to see the tears now welling up in his eyes. Her vision was blurred but it was clear she was not the only one that was letting her emotions get the better of her.

"Booth… please…" She pleaded but it was too late.

All the years of him blaming himself for her emotional turmoil had gotten the better of him. He was a fragile, weak and scared but somehow he knew this is what she needed to see. She needed to see the power she had over him.

"Bones, I'm sorry. Whatever I have done I am truly sorry. For all the times I have failed you… I am sorry. I…." As the words rolled off his lips Brennan found an unexplainable need to fix whatever she had broken, proving without a doubt he had nothing to be sorry for. She was the one who had to deal with her inadequacies.

Unable to look up and face the destruction her actions had caused, Brennan slowly moved her hand across the SUV and tightly linking her hand in his. Although it was a small step in declaring how she felt, she hoped for now it was good enough. 


	5. Chapter 5

Booth's eyes quickly fell. The minutes quickly passed as he felt himself mesmerized by the sight before him. Sure she had put her hand over his before or gave him a hug before but there she was, linking their hands together… solidifying that she felt they were much more than just partners. Her eyes locked with his forehead, unable to pacify the feeling she had done something so horrible… so wrong that he would never be able to look at her the same way.

She had seen him with women he found attractive before. He was never hesitant with showing any sense of belonging but with her he was hesitant to even accept her advances that she gave freely. Had she read him wrong? Sure she had been wrong about men before but with him it was different. The spark between them was undeniable. Even strangers could see the spark they had. Ever since she was young she could never comprehend spending her life with just one person but he had changed that. Now she could not think of a life without him. He completed her and understood her like no one else.

She had never been fully comfortable around anyone, even Angela, but with Booth it was always different. Ever since day one he seemed to find a way inside, to see the part of her she had longed to hide from the world… the innocent child that begged for one more chance to live.

He felt her hand tense then unlink with his. She was hesitant and horrible with emotional cues but even to her this was a big red flag that something had gone horrible wrong.

"Booth… I just thought if we…" She mumbled, placing her hand back in her lap and looking away. "Sorry." She spoke abruptly, opening her door and sliding off her chair.

"Bones… stop." He meekly whispered, suddenly embarrassed.

She sat, dangling her legs off her chair but refusing to look back at him.

"Do you know what you are doing?" He ran his hand down her back, "Do you really know what you do to me… what this means?"

She nodded but refused to turn around. After the night they had he didn't need to see the emotional wreck she had suddenly become.

"I know that when I am around you, my heart feels as though it is in my stomach. I know even though it is not scientifically possible, I wish you could be one with me… when I am around you I can face anything and not be scared."

"But Bones, you are not scared of anything. You're wonder woman. You're invincible."

"Do you want the truth?" Her whole body tensed as the words slowly flowed. She wasn't even sure if it was true but with the facts all laid out time and time again she had only been able to reach one conclusion.

"Of course. You can always be honest with me."

"I am afraid… I am afraid of you." She shuttered then stood, hoping he would call her back once more.

As her feet hit the cool concrete his heart sank. How had he screwed up so bad that out of everyone who had done bad to her in her life she was afraid of him? He tucked his hands deep into his pocket, tugging at the cool, circular piece of metal that held all his hopes and fears.

"Bones…" He faintly whispered, slowly lifting her purse, "You forgot…"

A loud ping sent both sets of eyes down onto the passenger's seat as a small piece of metal fell out of her purse and landed squarely on the moon lit concrete. The yellow lettering clear as day.

"Booth… I… I…" She dove toward the metal, hoping he had not seen it fall but the damage was already done.

"Is that for me?" He forced his hands out of his pockets to lean over the seat, trying to catch her eyes.

Slowly Brennan sat up, trying to cover the object with her legs but as her partner leaned practically over the seat trying to get a better look the small, a silver object came bouncing out of his pocket and landed squarely on the k of the 'taken' scrawled over the clasp she so desperately tried to hide.

"Booth…" Her eyes quickly shot up from the ring to meet his smoldering brown eyes, "Did you… did… mine?" She blinked, trying to keep herself from being overwhelmed once more.

Their eyes held for what seemed like an eternity until a loud thunderclap broke the tension that was now permeating the air. The rain slowly began to fall, cleansing them both inside out.

"She was right." Brennan softly whispered, longing for all the answers her mother once held.


	6. Chapter 6

"She?" His voice broke, unable to keep the raging emotions at bay any longer, "You talked to someone… about us?"

"Not exactly…" Her eyes rolled back in her head, trying to keep the tears from falling, "It was a dream I once had…"

"A dream?" He chuckled, "The queen of science and knowledge is basing all this off a dream? Even for me that seems a little silly."

"I… I just thought…" She fumbled; dropping her hands to her knees she knew she was going to have to explain herself, not only to him but also to herself. "It really is silly." The words fell flat, courage she had not.

"Oh." He whispered. As determined as he was to have her come to the conclusion on her own, his whole body ached at the thought of her being upset. To make the strong, determined woman before him believe in the unscientific it must have been big. He knew he wasn't worth the fight that was raging on in her mind, deep down he knew he was too screwed up but there was a part of him… a deep, fleeting part that hoping he was just good enough.

The thunder clapped once more, sending both partners out of their reveries. They both jerked up, glancing as the lighting danced across their partner's face. It seemed to etch each defining moment, each heart crushing blow, everything that made their love so radiating yet so destructive.

"So… you're silly now?" He smiled, running his hand down her tear drenched face.

"Not as silly as you." She teased, trying to break the mantra that was slowly overtaking her being.

'When you find the one, you'll know it.'

The words cascaded down her heart; without her science how could she ever possibly know something? She had read every love book her hands had come in contact with. The notebooks that detailed her extensive experiments were to her like a child on Christmas… yet not enough. Instead of the normal rush she received when she had finally had a scientific sound reasoning, this rational left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Although it was highly unlikely that her mother held all the answers, over the years she had learned that one of the main parental roles was to pass on knowledge to their offspring. Had her mother been wrong about it all along? Was her mother even right about anything?

_Statistically you cannot possibly know._

The only logical conclusion she was able to reach. A conclusion that about killed her. As each notebook burned in the bright orange flame, so did any chance of knowing the truth. To be loved or fall in love, both unobtainable to the scientific mind.

And as her last ditch attempt at redemption, for that one last conclusion that had evaded her, was falling through her fingertips she knew the end was near. For the first time in her life she, Temperance Brennan, had failed.

Scientifically she knew it was impossible to experiment with love, such a weak emotion that even after her thirty years on the earth she barely understood. But the longing that never seemed to cease had drawn her in. As the days had turned into weeks and weeks into years, their partnership had shifted. She had no way of conclusively pinpointing the exact moment it happened but between the then and now, they had happened.

They were it.

"Bones… hey, Bones." His hand ran slowly down her check, "You okay?"

She instinctively shrugged, refusing to let her heart burst at the seams. She couldn't live without him, she was sure of that now but the wavering feeling of love that danced across her lips every time he was within ear shot that was one risk her weary heart was not willing to take.

"You've been off all day." He gripped her face tightly, drawing her toward him, "What happened to the Temperance Brennan I know?"

"She… she…" She finally forced her eyes to glance up, locking eyes with the man that held her future, "she never was."

"What?!?" His body jerked up as her words practically slapped him in the face. "So after all these years, after all we have been through… that is what we have become? A lie? That is low… Brennan." He growled.

His use of her last name caused her to filch. It wasn't like she had meant it to come out like it had, hurting him was the last thing she had ever wanted to do but as his body tensed and pulled away from her she knew the truth. He was crushed.

"I didn't mean it like that!" She defensively barked, unable to keep the anger at bay, "But if you don't…" Her voice dropped to just above a whisper, "want to believe the truth, I understand."

"How do you suppose I act?" His eyes locked on her, causing her to shake and fumble, "You said all I believed in was a lie."

Without thinking, Brennan lunged at her partner, like a lion to prey. Their lips locked in an almost primal urge, teasing the other for a small piece of the other and unable to get enough. Unable to think of anything but the sorrow that seemed to fill every word that fell from his lips, she knew she may not have had the scientific answers she was looking for but that was never what he asked of her. He was a heart and gut guy. If she was unable to find answers scientifically, maybe it was because he held them. Maybe he was the answer.

Pulling away, Brennan's eyes rolled open to find the most serene smile dancing across her partner's lips.

"That Booth," She huskily whispered, "is the truth."


	7. Chapter 7

"I… I…" He babbled as his eyes jerked open at the void she left, "Bones… damn…."

A flicker of doubt passed before her eyes. She was sure this one act would have solidified the rumblings deep down but as her eyes glazed over his face, she felt more empty and vulnerable than ever. The single jolt of electricity that danced across her lips seemed to lay all her faults out to bear. Not by choice but out of necessity, the necessity of loving another.

They both knew what a kiss would mean but she still took that risk, a cross she would have to carry. To love was to risk losing the one thing she had always depended on, her crutch. And with the twinkle in his eye she knew she was very close to falling off that edge into the deep abyss of loneness.

"Oh." She took a step back defensively, "Sorry… that… that was a mistake."

As if frozen in time, she watched as with precision the affectionate, dazed smile fall from his lips and the twinkle was replaced by eyes as dark as the night.

"A mistake?" He growled, throwing his tightly clenched fists in front of her, "You, Dr. Brennan… Temperance… do not make fucking mistakes. You're god damn perfect." His voice fell soft and wavering as a single tear feel down his check.

"Perfect?" Her voice squeaked in astonishment, "You… you think I am perfect."

Locking his hands on her shoulders, he shook her with such a force her head crashed into his chest with every thrust. Stilling his movements, he gripped her shoulders tighter in bitter reverence.

"Of course I do. I've tried Bones, I really have but there is no other woman on this planet that will come close to you. Not even close."

"Oh." She meekly whispered.

"So no rational rebuttal about not knowing tha-"

Her lips brushing against his stopped all words flowing from his lips. The second his eyes rolled open he found her frantically stepping back.

"So that was a mistake too?" His eyes narrowed as they locked onto his pray, "For a woman who doesn't make many mistakes you seem to be making a lot today."

Her eyes suddenly widened. She knew she was caught. She wasn't sure why she kissed him, it just… happened. Desire and need had bubbled to the surface in a frantic plea for just one more touch.

"I…"

"This." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulling her toward him, placing a delicate kiss across her lips, "You're telling me that you felt nothing. It was just some stupid, idiotic mistake and you felt nothing…" The words fell from his lips with a knowing smile.

"I… I just…"

"Don't lie to me, Bones. I know when you lie."

As she backed up her soul piercing eyes glanced up at him once more; pleading with him to save her from the hell she herself had created.

"You felt it didn't you?" He smiled as he stepped forward, "Every time your body touches mine, you feel that spark and that spark scares you."

With a slight nod she took a single step forward.

"You can't stand me even thinking about another woman for a second." He growled, "You get jealous, admit it Bones." He demanded with such a force she shivered, "I know it's true because the second any man even looks at you I get a burning desire to shoot the man even for just thinking about you like that. You're mine, you know that don't you?"

Another nod and step. Just one more step and she knew she would be in his open arms yet somewhere deep down she didn't care.

"Admit it." He hissed, "Admit that you love me."

"Yes, I…." Her voice broke as she took that last step, "As irrational as it seems to be… I'm addicted. My body aches without your touch. I can't help myself. Every time I see you I have an irrational need to rip off your clothes and devour you whole. I can't get enough and… fuck I love you so damn much that hurts too."

With a smile, Booth pressed his lips against hers unabated and with honest desire.

"To make this clear…" He broke away and looked into her twinkling eyes, "no more seeing other people… we're partners in and out of work, we're…"

"Together romantically." She giggled at his sudden shyness.

"And you know that I've… hell, I've loved you for years Bones. You know that don't you?"

Wrapping her arms tightly around her partner, Brennan couldn't help but sigh in contentment.

"Yes, I… yes." She grinned, nuzzling into his body with complete abandon.

"So… we're together and we love each other." He repeated, grinning from ear to ear, "For good."

"For good." She repeated against his neck, "She was right… she was always right."

"Who? Who was right, babe?" He smiled, content with her in his arms.

"My mother," She sighed and he pulled her until he was flush with her body, "she told me when you find the one that completes you, you'll know." Years of fear and anxiety began to pool on his shoulder as her eyes closed in remembrance, "And I've always known, you were always the _only_ one." The words wrenched from her lips in bittersweet relief.

"I know, Bones, I know." He spoke as his lips danced slowly across her skin, "From day one I knew."

Time seemed to stand still as the partners embraced in devotion and comfort. The clouds broke and the moon shinned for the first time that evening but in their world none of that mattered. The only things that mattered were a boy, a girl and the story that began that evening of a love story never ceasing.


End file.
